Mail-bag receiving and delivering apparatus



I. T. .HEFNER. MAIL BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 'MAYZII I920.

1,408,595. Patented Mar. .7, 1922 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IN VEN TOR.

w/masszs ATTORNEY.

1.1. HEFI IER. MAIL BAG RECEIVING. AND DELIVERING APPARATUS. APPLICATION man MAY 21. 1 920. 1,408,595. Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

3 SHEETS SHEE T 2- I TOR. WWI 655? I I INVEN I ATTORNEY.

J. T. HEFNER.

MAN. BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAYZh 1-920.

1 108,595. Patnted Mar. 7,1922.

' a SHEETS-SHEET 3-.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH 'IFTHEFNER, TOIPEKA, KANSAS.

Application filed May 21,

The object of the lnvention is to provide simple and efiicient mechanism for transferring mail from a fast moving train to a station crane and vice versa.

Another object is to provide apparatus of this character carrie by the train and adapted to be easily swung into and out of operative position by a person within the car. I I

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combin'ation and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a railway car equipped with this improved apparatus and a station crane positioned for cooperation therewith.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the invention; a j

Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing the craneapparatus and the station crane in operative relation and in the act of transferring mail.

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2. I i

Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a detail transverse section taken on the line 6+6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 8 is a detail horizontal section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig.1. 1

In the embodiment illustrated a station crane 1 is employed and a train carried crane 10. The station crane comprises, in

the form shown an upright or standard composed of adjustable sections 2 united by couplings 3, although obviously it may be Specification of Letters Patent.

MAIL-BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

1920. Serial No. 383,053.

made in a single member if found desirable to do so.

A T-coupling 4- is carried by the standard 1 andsupports a laterally extending arm 5, which carries at its free end another T-coupling 6 in which is mounted a bag supportlng bar 7 arranged at right angles to arm 5 and extending on opposite sides thereof being notched in its upper face, as shown at 8 to receive and support mail bag carrying rings 9, which are to be delivered to the train carried crane. This bar 7, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is positioned parallel with the track on which the train is to travel, and is so located as to cooperate with the crane 10 carried by the train.

The train carried crane comprises a vertically disposed rod 11 mounted to turn in suitable bearings secured at the top and bottom of the door way of'a car. This rod 11 has its central portion threaded to receive a correspondingly threaded coupling 20 presently to be described.

A collar 12 is secured to the lower end of the rod 11 by a set screw or other suit-v able means, and a block 13 is mounted for vertical movement on the lower end of the rod and between which and said collar 12 18 of lever 17 is made sufiiciently' large to permit the free turning of the. rod 11 without affecting the lever. as shown clearly in Fig.4. i

A. roller 16 is mounted on the base 15 and operates as a fulcrum for lever ll", the free end of which projects rearwardly into the car andis designed to form a pedal which when depressed will raise block 13 against the tension of spring 19 and release said block 13 from the base 15 to permit the rod 11 to be manually rotated for swinging'the bag carrying portion thereof either into or out of the car C. j

'The coupling 20 which has threaded engagement with rod 11 has an arm 21 extending radially therefrom and isconnected by a brace 22 with $1. 6 pper portion of rod 11 by a collar 23. term. ably moiuited'im the outer end of arm 21, is a bar 24;, which is secured to said arm by a pin 27 passing trrmsversely through the arm and the barv as is shown clearly in Fig. 6.

The bar 24; which is secured. midway its ends to the arm 2.1 is designed to be positioned in a horizontal. plane and carries at one end a pivoted stop 25 mounted on a collar 26. This stop has its free end extending inwardly and of sufilcient weigl'it to cause .it to drop normally into closed position, its free inner end being beveled. inwardly, as is shown at 25 to cause a mail bag ring 9 to raise it and pass under it, should there be a tendency for this ring to slip off the end of bar 24:. r

The other end of this bar 24 is cut out on its inner, face toform a recess 28,in which is mounted a movable jaw 29 fulcrumed at 30, intermediate of itsends. A coil spring 31 is arranged between the inner face of .the rear end of jaw 29 and the opposed face of the cutout portion of bar 24, and exerts its tension to normally force the front end of jaw 29 into clamping engagement with bar 24. The opposed faces of jaw 29, and the cutout portion of bar 24 are provided with registering notches 32 which are designed to receive the shanks 9 of the mail bag carryingrings 9, as is shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 8. Any desired number of these registering notches may be employed according to the number of mail bags B, it is desired to deliver at a single station. The shanks 9 of the mail bag rings 9 are shown provided with loops 9*, see Fig. 7 so that whenthe shank 9 is clamped between jaw 29 and bar 24 upward movement of the mail bag ring will be prevented.

In the use of this apparatus the station crane, the parts of which are stationary, may have hung on the bar 7, thereof, a bag B, it

being positioned on said bar according to the direction in which the approaching train is traveling, the train being shown moving toward the right in Figs. 1 and 2. Before the train reaches the station, the mail clerk opens jaw 29 of the train crane which then in the position shown. in dotted lines in F g. and places in one pair of the registering notches thereof, the shank 9" of a mail. bag

carrying ring 9 with the ring positioned above the bar 524:, as is shown clearly in Fi ,1 and 3, that these ringswill be positioned suitably to receive the bar 7 at the station crane. After these bags have been clamped on. bar 24, the clerk depresses lever 17 with his foot, thereby elevating block 1.3 and re leasing it from base 15, permitting the rod 11 to be rotated sufficiently to swing the arm 21 and the bar 24 carried thereby outward. into the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and when the clerk removes his foot from lever 17, the stud. 14 on block 13 will enter a socket in base 15, and thus lock the crane in operativeposition ready to receive and deliver mail bags. As the train a giproaches the station, the pointed end of bar 24,, which carries the pivoted stop 25, will pass through the ring 9 of the bag B supported on the station crane bar 8, and this bar 8 will enter the rings 9 of the bags B, carried by the spring pressed clamping member of bar Ql, so that as the train continues its move ment, the bag on the station train will be transferred to bar 2% of the var train and the bags on the car train will be forced from between the clamping jaws thereof and transferred to the bar 8 of the station crane.

After the mail has been delivered from the car crane and the station mail received thereby, the operator again depresses the lever 17 and swings crane 10 to cause the bar 24 to enter the car C, sothat he may remove therefrom the mail bags. The crane then remains in this position until-the next station is reached when the operation is repeated.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled. in the art to which the block for locking the block against turning,

a spring carried by said rod and engaging said block to hold it yieldably engaged in looking position, a lever for moving said blockagainst tlie'said spring to release it from said support, and mail bag receiving and delivering means extending laterally fron'i said rod.

5%. Tu an apparatus of the class described, an upright standard, an arm extending lat orally therefrom, a bar carried by the free end. of sai d. arm and secured thereto midway its length, said bar extending at right angles from. the arm, a collar carried by one end of said'baiga pivoted gravity stop carried by said collar with its free end extending inwardly and inwardly beveled, and a spring pressed clamping jaw carried by the other end of said jaw.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, an upright standard, an arm extending latorally therefrom, a bar carried. by the-free end of said arm and secured thereto midway said jaw and bar, and a coiled spring for 10 its length, said bar extending at right angles holding said aw in operative position.

from the arm, a collar carried by one end of In testimony whereof I aflix my signasaid bar, a pivoted. gravity stop carried by ture in presence of two witnesses;

said collar with its free end extending inwardly and inwardly beveled, the other end JOSEPH T. HEFNER.

of said bar being recessed, a jaw pivoted in- Witnesses: V termediate its ends in said recessed portion, DAVID VoenL, registering notches in the opposed faces of JOHN HOLZMAN. 

